Water salute

A water salute occurs for ceremonial purposes when a vehicle travels under plumes of water expelled by one or more fire fighting vehicles.

Water salute for the first Ryanair flight to Rijeka Airport in 2011

A fireboat gives a water salute to the USS Vandegrift by the Steel Bridge in Portland, Oregon.

G-DOCB, a donated Boeing 737-400, is given a water salute after arriving at Cranfield University for preservation.

Three water salutes were given for the Beijing medical team aiding Hubei, which returned to Beijing on 31 March 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei subsided, at Beijing Capital International Airport[1]

A New York City Fire Department fireboat gives a water salute for the 125th anniversary of the Brooklyn Bridge in 2008.

At an airport, typically an even number of vehicles will line up perpendicularly on the sides of the taxiway or apron, and the plumes of water will form a series of arches. Symbolically, the procession looks similar to a bridal party walking under a wedding arch or the saber arch at a military wedding.

Water salutes have been used to mark the retirement of a senior pilot or air traffic controller, the first or last flight of an airline to an airport, the first or last flight of a type of aircraft, as a token of respect for the remains of soldiers killed in action,[2] or other notable events. When the Concorde flew its last flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport, blue, white and red coloured plumes were used.[3]

Water salutes are also used for ships and other watercraft, with water being delivered by fireboats. This is often done for the first or last visit or retirement of a senior captain, the first or last cruise of a ship, the visit of a warship, or other ceremonial occasions.